The World’s 5 Most Difficult Climbing Routes – Which Ones Do You Know?
Alex Honnold’s “Free Solo” opened a new window onto the world of rock climbing, significantly boosting the sport’s popularity among the general public. A large part of this is due to the heart-pounding nature of Honnold’s climbing footage.
However, he is far from the only person climbing these epic routes. Wherever there is rock, people will inevitably seek to climb it, no matter how daunting or terrifying the route appears.
Regarding climbing difficulty, there are various international grading systems, such as the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS), which offers a relatively intuitive measure. But this is not the sole factor determining how difficult a climb truly is.
In some locations, simply reaching the base of the cliff can be a significant journey in itself. And once you begin the ascent, factors like extreme cold and fierce winds await you.
We have compiled a list of five climbing routes. All belong to the highest echelon of technical difficulty, but upon closer examination of what they entail, you realize they are even more demanding than imagined, requiring immense skill from those who complete them.
The following list is in no particular order.
1. Dawn Wall, Yosemite National Park, USA
El Capitan is one of the world’s most famous climbing destinations, due in part to Honnold’s recent “Free Solo” ascent. However, El Capitan hosts even more challenging routes.
The steep, blank expanse of the “Dawn Wall” is among the world’s hardest big wall climbs, featuring more pitches than any other route on El Capitan. The entire route stretches 915 meters (3000 feet) and is divided into 32 pitches.
In 2015, after 7 years and 19 days of effort, Tommy Caldwell finally achieved the first ascent of this route. Upon completion, Caldwell stated, “It was like emerging from the edge of the earth.”
2. Silence, Flatanger, Norway
In 2017, Adam Ondra established the world’s first, and currently only, confirmed 5.15d route on the granite face of the Hanshelleren Cave.
For reference, the Dawn Wall is graded 5.14d in the YDS system. Hanshelleren Cave, with its 80-meter high cave wall, is one of the world’s premier climbing venues.
Ondra initially named this 45-meter high route, which took him four years of grueling effort, “Project Hard.” However, he ultimately renamed it “Silence.”
Should more climbers successfully complete the route, its difficulty rating might be subject to change. For now, as the sole climber to have completed a 5.15d route, Ondra retains both the authority and the pride in its assessment.
3. Shark’s Fin, Meru Peak, India
For 30 years, climbers attempted to summit the 6,400-meter Meru Peak in the Himalayas via the “Shark’s Fin” route.
Three elite alpinists, Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk, finally succeeded in reaching the summit via the “Shark’s Fin” in 2011 after two major expeditions.
The route is named after the 450-meter high, smooth, overhanging granite feature that forms the top of Meru Peak’s Northeast Face.
However, before even reaching this wall, climbers must overcome 1,200 meters of highly technical mixed climbing (involving both ice climbing and rock climbing), all performed in sub-zero temperatures.
4. Alasha, Mallorca, Spain
Renowned climber Chris Sharma discovered the line that would become “Alasha” (named after his daughter) after swimming for four hours along the northern coastline of Mallorca.
Over five years of attempts, he repeatedly fell from the nearly 20-meter high cliff into the water below. He finally succeeded in 2016, describing it as an “unparalleled route hidden in an epic location.”
Remarkably, just ten years earlier, he had completed Mallorca’s other iconic deep-water solo route, “Es Pontàs,” on only his second try.
Sharma declined to assign a formal difficulty rating to “Alasha,” but he compared it to 5.15b routes he has climbed. This strongly suggests its difficulty is at least 5.15b, if not harder.
5. La Dura Dura, Oliana, Spain
The area near the Pyrenees mountains offers a wealth of extremely challenging climbing routes, particularly around Oliana, which many elite climbers call home.
“La Dura Dura” is a 5.15c route located on a steeply overhanging limestone cliff adorned with striking streaks. It stands as one of the world’s hardest confirmed routes.
The fact that it became the focal point of a competition between the world’s two strongest climbers at the time speaks volumes about its challenge.
In 2012, Chris Sharma began working on “La Dura Dura.” Before he could complete it, Adam Ondra arrived to attempt the same line. After approximately 70 attempts over five weeks, Ondra achieved the first ascent. Six weeks later, Sharma also successfully redpointed the route.
